Speech

andTheater arts
Theater Production
Cadiz, Armin
Reporter
2.1 THEATRICAL PROCESS
1. The Drama Test (Audition): To introduce holistic, theatre-centred
improvisational exercises as a way to test and access students' readiness,
willingness and ability to fully engage in the process of growth through
theatre-making
2. The Storyteller and Playwright: To introduce the basic structure and
process of story-making and playwriting (i.e. plot, character and style) as well
as the role and responsibility of the storyteller and playwright
3. The Director, Stage Manager and Performer: To introduce and
apply the concept, process and skills involved in translating a play from words
on paper to action on stage for a live audience. To practice the discipline and
commitment necessary to keep the cast/crew in harmony, involved,
interested and the production in order and on schedule
4. The Technical Rehearsal: To integrate acting, stage
management, lighting and sound effects into a unified, coherent and
fluent experience. To make last minute cuts and changes
5. The Dress Rehearsal: To preview the show in front of an
internal audience (i.e. classmates) and learn to work with the
audience's response. To evaluate the readiness of the cast and crew
6. The Final Performance: To execute what has been learned and
practiced in front of a live public audience
7. The Final Evaluation: To maintain accurate records of the work
and the process. To evaluate individual as well as group performance
during the entire process of theatre-making
2.2 Audience andCriticism
I. The Audience is an Essential Part of Theatrical Performance
A. Audience perception of staged events completes
the creative process
B. Audiences invariably form their own
interpretations of the staged events and
their significance.
C. The artists who make the performance typically
work to evoke a desired
audience response.
II.Watching a Performance
A. Attending a play differs in several ways from going to a film
B. Although there are no rules about how to experience a theatrical
performance, the experience is generally more interesting if:
1. The audience is willing to pay attention, concentrate and engage
their imagination
a. The use of theatrical conventions (especially unfamiliar ones) may
require an audience’s imagination
b. The directors seek to direct the audience attention, but complete
control of audience attention or focus is impossible to achieve
c. Size and configuration of the auditorium affects audience response.
III. Who is the Audience?
A. Theatre audiences vary widely
1. Whereas some theatres select plays to appeal to the broadest possible.
range of audience interests, others aim their selections towards the tastesof a
very particular group.
2. Most theatres are concerned about attracting new audiences.
B. Attracting new audiences is not easy and sometimes alienates existing
patrons.
1. Some theatres receive funding to encourage racial or minority groups to
attend.
2. Some theatres cater exclusively to minorities.
C. Some theatres challenge the audience to appreciate unfamiliar forms of
theatre.
D. How can theatres attract young audiences
and those groups who normally don’t go to the
theatre?

1. Outreach and educational programs have

met with some success
IV. The Audience and Critical Perspective
A. Do we need a critical perspective to enjoy theatre?
B. A simple three-step process may allow us to better articulate our
response to a theatrical event
1. One has an experience
2. One analyzes the experience
3. One communicates one’s response to another
C. The professional critic needs:
1. A wide variety of theatrical experience
2. An understanding of the practices and processes that make up a production
D. Usually, the critic has a particular audience and purpose in mind
1. The general public and/or a specialized audience (academics, artists, etc.)
E. Some critics see themselves as consumer guides
F. The best criticism requires attention to both excellence and
shortcomings
1. Some critics may provide less-than-balanced discussion
2. Some critics may provide description without passing judgment
3. Some critics may be condescending or flippant, but such criticism breeds antipathy
V.The Basic Problems of Criticism
A. The critic is concerned with three basic problems:
1. Understanding – What were the playwright, director and
other theatre artists trying to do?
2. Effectiveness – How well did they do it?
3. Ultimate worth - How valuable was the experience?
B. Critics may follow several paths to answer questions
relating to
“understanding”
1. Some may study the playwright, the script, and the
production team’s stated goals
2. Some may attend the production with no preconceived notions
a. Critics may (by necessity) have to write about the performance
of a play they know little about
C. To answer questions related to “effectiveness”
some critics may focus on the play’s intention or
the director’s interpretation
1. Some directors’ interpretations are at variance with a
play’s intentions
D. Any response to “ultimate worth” assumes
some standard against which worth can be
measured
1. Assessment of “ultimate worth” is related to individual
perspective and values.
2. Many contexts are used in evaluating relative worth
a. Uncovering the stated or implied criteria in a
review can be very instructive
E. We should define for ourselves what makes a
production satisfying or not
1. In assessing our own critical stance, here are some
questions one might ask:
a. Am I open to unfamiliar subjects, ideas or conventions?
b. In the theatre, am I uncomfortable with moral stances that
differ from my own?
c. What standards do I use in judging a play or performance?
Why?
F. Developing a critical response
1. Ask the 3 major questions of critical assessment
a. What was attempted?
b. How fully was it accomplished?
c. How valuable was the experience
Christine Ramilla
Reporter
2. Elaborate with other major questions:
a. What play was performed? Who is the author? What
information about the author or script is important for
understanding the production?
b. Where and when did the performance take place? Will there
be additional performances?
c. Who was involved in the production – producer, director,
actors, designers, etc.?
d. What were the apparent goals of the script or production?
e. How effectively and fully were the goals realized (in the
directing, acting, design elements)?
f. Should others see it? Why?
VI. Qualities Needed by the Critic
A. A critic should strive to be:
1. Sensitive to feelings, images and ideas.
2. As well acquainted as possible with the theatre of
all periods and of all types.
3. Willing to explore plays and their production
processes.
4. Tolerant of innovation.
5. Aware of his or her own prejudices and values.
6. Articulate and clear in expressing judgments and
their bases
7. Courteous.
2.3 Theater Space and Design
1. Design a functioning Auditorium according to the type of
performance and the number of the audience. It is the part of
the theater accommodating the audience during the performance,
sometimes known as the “house”. The house can also refer to an area
that is not considered playing space or backstage area. This includes
the lobby, coat check, ticket counters, and restroom. The amount of
space required for each auditorium depends on a number of factors but
the following guides, based on modern seating design can give you an
idea of the
area needed:
200 seats: 270m² | 2,900 ft2
150 seats: 190m² | 2,000 ft2
75 seats: 125 m² | 1,350 ft2
2. Keep the standard distance for a comfortable
audience seating. The aisle is the space for walking
with rows of
seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a
wall on the other. In order to improve safety when the
theaters are darkened during the performance, the
edges of the aisles are marked with a row of small
lights. There are usually two types of aisle
arrangements:
a. The multiple-aisle arrangement - It consists of 14-
16 chairs per row with access to an aisle way at both ends.
If the aisle can only be reached from one end of a row, the
seat count may then be limited to 7 or 8.
b. The continental seating
plan - If planned carefully,
the continental aisle
arrangement can accommodate
more seating within the same
space. Usually, it requires an
average of 7,5 square feet (2,3
square meters) per person
including the seating area and
the space for aisle-ways.
The multiple-aisle arrangement
1. The stage is important: choose wisely
The stage is the designated space where actors and other artists perform
and the focal point for the audience. As an architectural feature, the stage may
consist of a platform (often raised) or series of platforms. In some cases, these
may be temporary or adjustable but in theaters and other buildings devoted to such
productions, the stage is often a permanent feature. There are several types of
stages that vary as to the usage and the relation of the audience to them:
a. Thrust theatre - A Stage surrounded by audience on three sides. The Fourth
side serves as the background. In a typical modern arrangement: the stage is
often a square or rectangular playing area, usually raised, surrounded by raked
seating. Other shapes are possible; Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre was a five-
sided thrust stage.
b. End Stage - A Thrust stage extended wall to
wall, like a thrust stage with audience on just one
side, i.e. the front. “Backstage” is behind the
background wall. There is no real wingspace to the
sides, although there may be entrances located there.
An example of a modern end stage is a music hall,
where the background walls surround the playing
space on three sides. Like a thrust stage, scenery
serves primarily as background, rather than
surrounding the acting space.
c. Arena Theatre - A central stage surrounded by
audience on all sides. The stage area is often raised to
improve sightlines.
d. The Proscenium Stage or End Stage - It is the most common type
of stage and it is also called a picture frame stage. Its primary
feature is a large opening, the proscenium arch through which the
audience views the performance. The audience directly faces the
stage and views only one side of the scene. Often, a stage may
extend in front of the proscenium arch which offers additional
playing area to the actors. This area is referred to as the apron.
Underneath and in front of the apron is sometimes an orchestra
pit which is used bymusicians during musicals and operas.
The Proscenium Stage
e. Flexible theatre - Sometimes called a “Black Box” theater, these
stages are often big empty boxes painted black inside. Stage and seating
not fixed. Instead, each can be altered to suit the needs of the play or the
whim of the director.
f. Profile Theatres - Often used in “found space” theaters, i.e. theaters
made by converted from other spaces. The Audience is often placed on
risers to either side of the playing space, with little or no audience on either
end of the “stage”. Actors are staged in profile to the audience. It is often the
most
workable option for long, narrow spaces like “store fronts”. Scenically, a
profile theater is most like an arena stage; some staging as background
is possible at ends, which are essentially sides. A non-theatrical form of
the profile stage is a basketball arena, if no-one is seated behind the
hoops
g. Sports Arenas - Sports arenas often serve as venues for
Music Concerts. In form they resemble very large arena stage
(more
accurately the arena stage resembles a sports arena), but with a
retangular floorplan. When used for concert, a temporary stage
area often is set up as an end-stage at one end of the floor, and
the rest of the floor and the stands become the audience. Arenas
have their own terminology
Irish Viillanueva
Reporter
2. Keep the scenery low for better visibility . In the Theater in the
round or the Arena Stage Theater, the stage is located in the center
of the audience, with the audience members facing it from all
sides.
The audience is placed close to the action, which provides a feeling
of intimacy and involvement. However, this type puts major
restrictions on the amount and kind of visual spectacle that can be
provided for a performance, because scenery more than a few feet
tall will block the audience view of the action taking place onstage
3. For greater intimacy with the audience, go with the Thrust Stage
A thrust stage is one that extends into the audience on three sides and is
connected to the backstage area by its upstage end. A thrust has the benefit of
greater intimacy between the audience and performers than a proscenium while
retaining the utility of a backstage area. The audience in a thrust stage theater
may view the stage from three or more sides.
4. Keep your theater flexible
Flexible stage theaters are those that do not establish a fixed relationship
between the stage and the house. They can be put into any of the standard
theater forms or any of the variations of those. Usually, there is no physical
distinction between the stage and the auditorium and the audience is either
standing, intermingling with the performance or sitting on the main floor.
5. Sound quality is as important as visibility
Although theater performances are a visual medium, poor sound quality will
ruin even the better plays. The sound is an area often overlooked but, just as
you need good sightlines, you also need good sound-lines. Apart from the
obvious comfort and size considerations, it is imperative that the auditoria are
designed with the following in mind:
a. External sound insulation (how many times have you heard traffic noise, trains
or building works over the soundtrack of the film you are watching?)
b. Internal sound insulation this is particularly impor – tant with multiple
screens where a loud soundtrack can leak into the adjoining auditorium
c. Services and equipment noise control noises such as air con – ditioning,
lifts, toilets and projection equipment need to be controlled
d. Acoustics acoustic design in theaters should be considered – from
feasibility stage location, auditorium planning etc. through to f – inal
commissioning
Tordecilla, Karyll
Reporter
Playwriting
Playwriting is an exciting and accessible performing arts scriptwriting discipline.
Anyone can write a play, round up some friends as actors, and gather an audience to
present original theatre at its most fundamental level. But to write great plays that
enthrall audiences, you may want to explore playwriting in more detail. To be a
successful playwright, you need to know where ideas for plays come from, the lingo
writers speak, how to create fully dimensional characters, how to write dialogue, where
to start your play, how to develop your storyline and reach the story’s climax, and how
to bring your play to a satisfying conclusion.

A. Speaking Like a Playwright

When you’re ready to develop your idea for a play, you need to express it
in terms that other playwrights and theatre people understand. Here are some of
the more common playwriting terms:
a. Protagonist: The main character of your story; the character with a mission
b. Antagonist: A character or thing that stands in your protagonist’s way
c. Conflict: The opposing objectives of your protagonist and antagonist
d. Arc, spine, or through-line: The story line; what the audience is waiting to
findout
e. Stakes: What the characters stand to gain or lose if they succeed or fail
f. Inciting incident: The event that launches the protagonist and gets the plot
going
g. Backstory: Events that have taken place in the past
h. Exposition: The motivated revelation of the backstory through dialogue
i. Actions: Things said or done by the characters to achieve their objectives
j. Rising action: The protagonist’s uphill journey, alternating gains and
setbacks
k. Climax: The final confrontation between the protagonist and the antagonist
l. Resolution: The aftermath of the climax; how the dust settles
Princess Anne De Castro
Reporter
B. Putting Lifelike Characters on Stage
The characters in your play must be fully developed, as close to
real peopleas you can make them. The keys to creating
believable characters are details andspecificity. If you know your
characters as well as you know your best friends,you’re more
likely to know what they will do under the circumstances of your
play.
a. Gender: Men and women react to life’s events in very different
ways.
b. Parents: Parents, even absent ones, have a
profound influence on their kids.
c. Siblings: Relationships later in life can be influenced by
experiences withsiblings.
d. Schooling: Education, or the lack of it, can influence
a person’s daily life.
e. Work: People often measure themselves by
their work and earnings.
f. Relationships: People who are married or in
committed relationships usuallybehave and
think
differently than single folks.
g. Religion: People’s choices and behaviors can
be powerfully influenced byreligion.
h. Race/ethnicity: People of different
backgrounds make different choices insimilar
situations.
i. Politics: Political beliefs can strongly affect what
that person chooses to do.
C. Making Character Dialogue Sound Natural
` Dialogue is the primary and most important component in playwriting.
The principal purpose of dialogue is to advance the action of the play. Though
dialogue sounds like natural conversation, every word of dialogue you write for
a character whether it reveals his aspirations, frustrations, motivations, or
intentions
should be crafted to help him achieve his objective. Here are some of the do’s
and don’ts of dialogue:
a. Use the “rule of three” for important info. If the audience needs to know
and remember some bit of information in order to understand what’s going
on,
repeat that information three times in different ways to cement it in the minds
of audiences.
b. Characters shouldn’t, you know, talk perfectly. In life, people don’t
speak perfect English when they converse. Listen to how people speak and
try to
recreate realistic-sounding speech patterns, flaws and all.
c. Avoid using clichés in dialogue. Not to “beat a dead
horse,” but clichés makedialogue sound dull and
uninspired.
d. Don’t overuse character names in dialogue. People don’t
address each other
by name in every sentence they speak, because it sounds
silly. (Mary, you look great. Thank you, Tom. Do you want
watch a movie, Mary? Yes, Tom.) Use character names in
dialogue early and then sparingly. e. The beginning of a line
shouldn’t echo the end of the prior line. The dialogue of one
character need not repeat what was said by the other. f. Avoid
dialogue that’s really speechifying. Avoid having characters
speak lines and lines of dialogue without interruption. In life,
people usually alternate sentences in conversation, even
cutting in on each other. Try to capture the rhythm of real
speech.
g. Keep your agenda out of the dialogue. Let
the theme of your play be conveyedby events,
not dialogue. If you have to tell the audience
what the point of yourplay is, then the play
probably isn’t working as well as it should.
h. Avoid phonetically spelling out accents and
dialects. Just spell the words
normally and make sure you cast an actor who
can speak with a Spanish
accent, for example.
Andrew Reyes
Reporter
D. How to Start the Play You’re Writing
The opening of your play needs to grab the audience; otherwise the battle is
lost before it begins. Following are some of the elements of a strong start:
a. Start your play as far into the story as possible. Pick a point of attack (opening
scenario) that’s well into the story, just before the inciting incident.
b. Upset the status quo. Be sure that something happens early on (the inciting
incident) to upset the world of your protagonist, launching her on a mission to
set things right.
c. Give your protagonist a critical mission. The audience will get behind your
protagonist if what your protagonist is after the goal — — is urgent, important,
and crystal clear to the audience.
d. Be sure that the antagonist provides strong obstacles. The more even the
battle, the greater the suspense.
e. Get the backstory in. Throughout the play, when it’s necessary to do so,
gradually weave into the dialogue the backstory, relevant events that
happened before the start of the play.
E. Scriptwriting: How to End Your Play
One of your responsibilities as playwright is to deliver a satisfying end to the
play. You don’t necessarily have to write a happy ending or even an ending
audiences would have wanted. You need an ending that seems truthful,
plausible (given the circumstances), and, in retrospect, maybe even inevitable.
Use the following tips to build to and execute a satisfying ending:
a. Make the obstacles tougher and tougher. Be sure the setbacks your protagonist
has to deal with are not easy and that they get tougher as the story progresses.
b. Create a cause and effect structure. Each moment and scene should lead
to the next. (Although they happen in life, random events and particularly
convenient coincidences aren’t dramatically satisfying in plays.)
c. Create a climactic moment that brings together your protagonist and
antagonist in one final showdown. The entire play builds toward this moment
when the
protagonist meets his fate and the story line, if not the play, is concluded.
Daphne De Villa
Reporter
d. Come to the earned conclusion. The conclusion should be
justified by theevents that came before. An earned conclusion is a
relevant and plausibleending that’s appropriate to the story
you’re telling.
e. Avoid cheat endings. The deus ex machina ending involves a
person or thing that appears suddenly and out of nowhere to
provide a contrived and convenient solution to the problem of
the play. Audiences don’t like this “cheat.” They expect the
protagonist to find (or not find) her own way out of the situation.
f. Tie up loose ends in the resolution. The resolution, which
comes just before the curtain falls, provides the opportunity for
the audience to see the landscape in the world of the play after
the climactic storm, big or small. This is where you should tie up
any unresolved strands of the story.
Dramaturgy
Dramaturgy is an exploration of the world of the play both the
text itself and
how the text engages with the world in which we live.
A dramaturg is a dedicated person on the creative team whose
primary task isto support the play's development by asking key
questions, starting conversations, researching, providing
context, and helping the artists as they work together to tell
theintended story.Since each piece of theater is unique, the role
of a dramaturg is further definedon a project-by-project basis.
Each process requires a customized approach thatbegins with a
deep understanding of the play and of the generative artist's
goals.
What might a dramaturg do for you?
Here are a few examples.
a. Let’s say you’re a playwright with a new play in a 29-hour reading. We can help
identify what is exciting, what is confusing, and how its current structure is
functioning via scene charts, timelines, character arcs and dialogue styles, list of
plot points, etc.
b. Let’s say you’re a musical theater writer with a first draft and demos. We can
offer insight about the style, voicing, dramatic need, and build for each song, or
track a tricky element in the show, like tone, dispensation of information, clues
leading up to a reveal, or a significant prop.
c. Let’s say you’re a deviser of a political dance piece in a workshop. We can ensure
that the basic logic of the storytelling devices consistently follow through from
point to point. We can assess the storytelling from various perspectives, and lead
necessary conversations about representation.
d. Let’s say you’re a director going into production
with a large, historical play. We
can create research packets of relevant information,
articles, and videos to enrich
actors’ understanding of the history, or write program
material to provide contextfor the audience.
e. Let’s say you’re a producer developing an
experimental piece of theatre. In
collaboration with the generative artists we can
create a list of foundational rules
to root the high-concept world. We can deconstruct
how theatrical devicesfunction from beginning to end.
While all theater artists practice dramaturgy within their
various roles, it can behelpful to have a designated individual
whose primary task is to support and fullyrealize the
project's overall dramaturgy, working in tandem with the
other designers totell a cohesive story. Scenic design (also
known as scenography, stage design, set design, or
production design) is the creation of theatrical, as well as film
or television scenery. Scenic designers come from a variety
of artistic backgrounds, but in recent years, are mostly
trained professionals, holding a B.F.A. or M.F.A. degrees in
theater arts. Scenic designers design sets and scenery that
aim to support the overall artistic goals of the production.
The Functions of Scenic Design
a. It defines the performance space by establishing dis-tinctions
between onstageand offstage. Through the use of flats, drapes,
platforms, floor treatments, orother means, designers delineate the
areas that will be used for the dramaticaction.
b. Scenic design creates a floor plan that provides multiple
opportunities formovement, composition, character interaction, and
stage business.
c.Scenic design visually characterizes the acting space. Just how it
does sodepends on the production concept. If the concept demands
that locales berepresented realistically, the designer will probably
select architectural details,furniture, and decorations that clearly
indicate a specific period and locale.
2.6 Theater Acting
Elements of Acting
a. Facial expression - help the audience read the characters emotions. Look
at
the actor s eyes and what they are telling you. This is a clu ’ e to the emotions
they are expressing to the audience.
b. Body language/stance - How the actor is standing and the body
language used can show the audience the characters feelings or
thoughts.
c. Body shape - Each actor was hired to play a role based on the ideal
body shapeneeded to portray that particular character. This can
involve
gaining/losingweight or becoming very fit.
d. Voice/accent - How an actor uses their voice can give us the audience a
quick insight into their character background and culture. It is very common
for an
actor to have a voice coach to assist them in mastering this accent.
Cristina Naz
Reporter
3 Basic Ingredients of the Actor
1. native ability (talent)
2. training (including general education)
3. practice
Training and Means
A. VOICE AND BODY - MUST LEARN CONTROL VOICE AND BODY TO
EXPRESS TO AUDIENCE.
□Understand
□Practice
□Discipline
B. IMAGINATION AND OBSERVATION - OBSERVE AND IMAGINE PEOPLE IN
VARIOUS
relationships. This would involve:

□emotional memory (remembering feeling from the past),

□sense memory (remembering sensations), and
□substitution (mentally replacing the thing / person in the play
with something / someone in real life).
c. Control and discipline - Actors must learn how
to develop their powers ofconcentration. Must be
aware at all times of:
their current situation (being an actor on
stage, with an audience out
front) and the context of the play (what is the
character doing/feeling/etc.)
The Acting Process
A. Analyze the Role
1. Use the script to help determine all information about the character
and fabricate what the script does not tell you. The quotation analysis is
a
valuable tool for the actor: analyzing what the character says and does, and
what otherssay about the character and behave toward the character
2. Define goals of the characters - determine the character's Objectives,
whatcharacter wants for each scene or character’s intention, purpose or
the
characters entire justification for being on stage.
3. Define goals of the characters - all communication has at least two
dimensions: the content dimension of the message and the
relationship
dimension of themessage. We not only say things, but we say them in
particular ways and the WAY we say things often tends to develop, clarify,
redefine a relationship.
AllenReporter
Villamor
4. Function that the role fulfills in the play -
actors need to understand how theircharacter relates to
the theme and the action of the play: is the character
aprotagonist, antagonist, or foil, a major or minor
character.
5. Sensitivity to subtext - not what you say but how
you say it. The actions and unspoken thoughts going
through the mind of the character and the underlying
emotional motivations for actions (including what
character says to others),psychological, emotional,
motivations.
6. Role in the overall production
B. Psychological and Emotional Preparation
Ways of inducing belief in self and character when actor finds difficulty
fittingself in situation.
C. Movement and Gesture
1. Stage business - obvious and detailed physical movement of
performers toreveal character, aid action, or establish mood. Stage
business oftenprescribed by the script, but may be invented by the actors
or the director toclarify or enrich action or characterization.
2. Delsarte - focused on physical characteristics and body language
3. Blocking - the arrangement and movements of performers relative to
eachother as well as to furniture and to the places where they enter and
leave thestage where actors move, how, and facing which directions
4. Gesture to help express character
5. Cheating - opening out / up.
Making sure as much of the front of
your face
andbody can be seen by the audience as
possible, while still retaining the
illusionof normal conversation.
6. Crossing and counter-crossing -
moving from one part of the stage to
another,sometimes "countering"
another's movements to make the
stage picture morebalanced.
D. Vocal characteristics
Actors are armed with a variety of exercises to improve their vocal
quality (projection [ability to be heard], tone, inflections, pitch, rate) and
their articulation (pronouncing words clearly and accurately).
E. Learning Lines (Memorization) and line readings
Learning lines suggests more than just memorization. It suggests
learning
why, for what purposes, in what circumstances lines are said. Semantics
refers tothe "meaning" of what is said.
F. "Ensemble" playing - a sense of wholeness. Everyone working
together, workingtogether as a unit toward a common goal, like a well-
oiled machine.
G. Conservation and build
Actors learn that usually "less is more.” They develop a sense of
economy,using their ability to conserve energy and action to build to ever
stronger actions
Rovic Oliveros
Reporter
2.7 Directing and Producing a Stage Play
Directing a Play
The is the one most responsible for the artistic element DIRECTOR, s. He has
the final say on the design elements, the cast, and how the script is to be
interpreted.
There are two basic trains of thought on the director:
a. One sees the director as the interpretative artist whose purpose is to serve
theplaywright by translating the script as faithfully as possible into theatrical
form.
b. The other sees the director as a creative artist who uses all of the elements of
the theatre, of which the script is merely one, to fashion his own work of art.
Regardless, it is the director's responsibility to decide on the interpretation of
the play and to guide the actors in interpreting their roles to fit within the
context of thisinterpretation.
While the director acts as a guide and interpreter to all
members of theproduction staff, he works most closely
with actors. He supervises rehearsals,explains his concept of
the script, critiques performances, and makes suggestions for
improvements. The director assumes the role of the ideal
audience.

The director creates the stage pictures, directs the use

of movement,gesture, and business; and the use of voice
and speech. Each moment of the performance may be thought
of as a picture capable of communicating with the audience apart
from speech or movement. In creating the stage picture, the
director must emphasize significant elements and subordinate
unimportant ones:
a. bodily positions of the actors - the actor facing the audience is
the most dominant;
b. height - the tallest actor is the most dominant (sitting, kneeling lower
height);
c. use of specific stage areas - down and right most dominant;
d. focus - having actors all look at same person;
e. spatial relationships - if a lot of actors on one side & a single one
on other side,attention on single actor;
f. contrast - all actors except one facing one way, attention will be on
one that isdifferent.
g. other ways of gaining attention are costuming;
h. lighting - contrasting colors or spotlight to emphasize,
i. set - a doorway or piece of furniture may frame and emphasize actor;
and
j. the stage picture should be balanced with consideration
for composition - itshould be balanced in terms of line, mass,
and
proportion, and should create aharmonious effect.
Producing the Play
If a play is to be performed, the playwright must find a producer. If a
producer is interested, he takes an option on it. This gives the
producer the exclusive right toperform the play in return for a sum of
money paid to the playwright. Usually beforethe playwright has a play
produced on Broadway, he joins the Dramatists Guild of theAuthors
League of America. Anyone who has a play optioned for
professionalproduction may join the Dramatists Guild. The purpose of
the Guild is to protect theauthor and to secure the best possible
contract. If the producer decides to perform the play, he gives the
playwright a contract stating the amt. of royalties that will be paid, the
limit of the producer's control over theplay (TV, film, foreign rights to
playwright), and that the playwright must be availablefor consultation
during the rehearsal period.
Once it is decided to mount a production, there are
several options or venuesto be considered: Broadway,
Off-Broadway, Off-Off Broadway, Regional
Professional Theatres, and University Theatres. The
penalties, both financial and artistic, for failureon
Broadway are so great that everyone strives to avoid
them at any cost.The producer is mainly concerned
with the financial aspects of the play. He
finds the backers, makes up the budget, oversees
the publicity, chooses the director and the
designers, and has a say in the casting of the actors.